BeforethebusyMemorialDayholiday,anewGoogleMapsupdateaddstrafficalerts

Just in time for the long Memorial Day holiday weekend, at least here in the United States, Google is adding a nice new feature to Google Maps to help avoid those long and miserable traffic jams.

When entering a destination, the app will give drivers an explanation of traffic conditions that makes it easy to find the quickest route.

If a jam happens while driving, you’ll also receive a notification on how long you’ll be stuck. Google Maps will even give you an option to take an alternate route, including explanations for why a certain way is recommended.

Google Maps is a universal app designed for the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad/iPad mini. It can be downloaded now on the App Store for free. Google didn’t specify if the new traffic features would require users to download a new version of the app. More than likely, the search giant will make the improvement to its servers so users won’t need to update.

In a blog post announcing the update, Google also looked at the top six trending searches from the same long weekend last year. And not surprisingly, some of the popular searches were “beach,” “cemetery,” “gas station,” and “furniture store.”